Project Summary/Abstract The focus of this conference is on the development and application of animal models to study human disease. Aquatic animals have many advantages and attributes that make them superior choices compared to mammalian models to investigate complex scientific questions. Aquatic animal models have played important roles in advancing our understanding of the origins of human disease and contributed to the study of drug targets and tests associated with the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease. There are many different aquatic animal models currently used in research, including zebrafish, Xenopus, aplysia, Xiphophorus, medaka as well as many marine species. The Aquatic Models of Human Disease Conference (AQMHD) is the only conference that brings together multiple aquatic models used to investigate the full range of human disease. These unique aquatic models represent a wide-range of innovative studies, methods and technologies that improve the conceptual understanding of the complexity of human disease. The Marine Biological Laboratory will host the 9th conference in this series in September 2018, bringing together researchers from the U.S. and around the world to engage in a program designed by recognized leaders in the field to provide state-of-the-art information on advances in the use of aquatic animals in biomedical research. This is a unique opportunity to host this aquatic model conference at the oldest marine laboratory in the United States. The dissemination of information, formal and informal engagement in discussion, and collaborative exchange of ideas will be achieved through a series of platform and poster sessions and workshops. New investigators, women, investigators with disabilities and under-represented minorities will be actively recruited to participate in this meeting through mechanisms such as travel awards. This year a strong effort is made to include more junior faculty representation. In addition, we have made efforts to increase participation and interactions at the poster sessions by organizing lightning talks prior to each poster session. Proceedings from past meetings have been published in special issues of a scientific journal and we will continue that mechanism for dissemination as well as attempt to publish a book providing a comprehensive review of the state of aquatic animal models and their use in human disease research. One outcome of these gatherings and this meeting in particular, is to provide new investigators with ideas, background, and mentoring required to improve the quality of grant applications submitted to multiple NIH institutes.